Our programs at our School for Dog Trainers are the first and only of their kind to be licensed by the NC Board of Community Colleges. We are also licensed by the Private School Licensure of the Alabama Community College System. The School for Dog Trainers is also approved and regulated by the Texas Workforce Commission. Our curriculum and hands-on instruction is unmatched in the industry.
Our graduates consistently succeed in the industry! Our programs not only teach our graduates how to be skillful dog trainers but we also focus on how to start up and operate a successful dog training business. As a result, our programs produce professional dog trainers who have the skills, knowledge and experience to be competitive in this consistently growing market. Schedule a tour to find out what makes us different!
We welcome veterans and military family members. We are approved by the North Carolina State Approving Agency to accept a variety of VA benefits to be able to offer our programs to those who have served.
We understand the commitment that comes with attending a professional career development school. We offer low interest financing for our programs. Our programs can be financed for up to 48 months.
For almost two decades, the School for Dog Trainers at Highland Canine Training, LLC has been providing students the opportunity to learn from a proven curriculum that has led to developing industry leading trainers across the globe. Over the years, our School for Dog Trainers has hosted students from more than 32 countries. We offer the most inclusive canine education programs available in the industry today.
Unlike many other programs, our school offers you in-depth, hands-on experience that is required to be a successful, professional dog trainer. Our School for Dog Trainers gives you all of the tools and information that you need to become competitive in the current dog training industry. Our dog trainer programs teach basic fundamentals of training and learning theory as well as advanced techniques and specialized concepts to create well-rounded professional dog trainers.
Our School for Dog Trainers is unique in that we teach you a variety of ways to accomplish a task or skill with dogs. We don’t simply teach students one singular method for training dogs. We place an emphasis on understanding and being able to apply operant conditioning principles as a foundation of becoming a professional dog trainer. We also focus on teaching students of our School for Dog Trainers other proven techniques for training dogs.
That’s the length of the campus tour that will show you what makes our School for Dog Trainers better!
The number of countries that we’ve hosted students from. We love to welcome international students.
We offer 7 different programs of study that allow you to learn the information you want.
Are employed as professional dog trainers or have started their own successful dog training business.
Our Master Dog Trainer Program provides you with the most comprehensive dog trainer education in the industry. Encompassing all aspects of dog training, this course will equip with you everything you need for a successful career as a dog trainer after graduation.
Our Service Dog Trainer Program is ideal if your focus is on Service Dogs and their handlers. This program teaches you how to select, socialize and train Service Dogs for several different purposes, and provides in-depth information on Service Dog legislation.
Our Police K9 Trainer Program combines all aspects of both our Detection and Protection programs. It is ideal for active and former Law Enforcement personnel, K9 unit supervisors/handlers, and civilians seeking a career in training working dogs.
Our Obedience & Behavior Program is a great way to begin your formal dog training education. This course addresses the fundamentals of canine behavior and learning theory, enabling you to apply the knowledge by working with a variety of different dogs.
Our Detection Dog Trainer Course teaches you how to select, imprint, train and maintain a successful detection dog. Our expert staff and exceptional facilities provide you with realistic scenarios to prepare you for real-world detection work.
Our Protection Dog Trainer Course provides you with all the information you need to train and handle protection dogs. You will understand the process from start-to-finish, including initial selection, drive development, handling, and how to decoy.
Our Search and Rescue Dog Trainer Course covers all aspects of training and handling a Search and Rescue dog. In this program, you will learn how to select a prospect, all areas of SAR training, and other important elements including K9 First Aid and Record Keeping.
With the pet industry market size estimated at more than $143 billion in 2023, there is no better time to start your dog training career. Our School for Dog Trainers offers a variety of intensive, specialized programs to allow you the opportunity to learn and develop a career in the area that most interests you. We have programs that are taught by subject matter experts with real-life experience in the field.
Highland Canine Training, LLC is an industry leader in:
Police and Military working dogs
Service Dog Training & Sales
Commercial K9 Detection
Protection dog training
Dog obedience and behavior modification.
As such, we not only offer our students academic and theory-based learning but also provide students the opportunity to immerse themselves in various divisions of our business. Students at our school for dog trainers get real-life, first hand experience with a variety of dogs.
We encourage students to work with as many different types of dogs as possible during our programs as we feel that this is the best way to gain valuable experience as a dog trainer. As such, we have a variety of dogs on-site, at all times, for students to practice with and learn from.
Our expert instructors and inclusive dog training philosophy gives you all the skills and knowledge to be competitive in this growing industry.
Graduates of our School for Dog Trainers excel in the industry and often open their own dog training business or start working for someone soon after graduation. The combination of practical, hands-on and classroom training offered by our instructors fully prepares our graduates and gives them the experience to tackle almost anything.
Programs at the School for Dog Trainers teach you not only how to effectively train dogs but also how to market, advertise and start your own dog training business. From website design to dealing with clients and employees, our expert staff of instructors give you all the knowledge you need to excel as a professional dog trainer.
Support for our alumni does not stop once they have graduated. We offer job placement assistance for those looking for careers in the industry and also offer job coaching and professional development opportunities for those who start their own business.
Let us help make your dog training career a success!
With the most inclusive canine education available, our School for Dog Trainers will teach you progressive and innovative methods of effectively training dogs and working with people in a way that will make your dog training career a successful one. Unlike most courses, our programs offer you extensive hands-on training that provide you with real-life experience.
At our School for Dog Trainers, our staff of instructors are highly qualified and accomplished individuals that are truly one of a kind. Our instructors and staff come from a variety of experiences, including law enforcement, military, competition and academic backgrounds. Not only do we teach you every aspect of the dog training industry, you will be immersed into an atmosphere alongside our instructors that are training a variety of dogs every day.
Find a program that’s right for you!
At our School for Dog Trainers, we have a variety of educational programs to choose from and many of our courses vary in length to meet your individual needs. Our comprehensive programs are unmatched in the industry and give you all the skills and hands-on experience you need to be successful! Regardless of your background or experience level, we have a program that’s right for you.
Upcoming Course Schedule
Our 2024-2025 School for Dog Trainers program schedule is published and our course dates are listed below. Our dog trainer programs generally fill 6-8 months in advance and space is limited.
View our upcoming program calendars at the links below:
Start dates of our upcoming semesters are below.
Winter 2025 Semester
January 2, 2025
Spring 2025 Semester
April 1, 2025
Summer 2024 Semester
July 1, 2025
Fall 2025 Semester
September 29, 2025
Since the beginning of our school, we have hosted students at the School for Dog Trainers from across the globe. To date, we’ve had over 40 countries represented as graduates from our school. Our international dog trainer students come from a variety of backgrounds. Many of our international graduates have gone on to open their own successful dog training businesses in their own countries. We have also hosted a vast number of students from military, police and other government agencies across the globe.
There are two International airports conveniently located within an hour drive of our school. For those students from outside the United States, we offer airport pickup and drop off as well as transportation while you are attending school.
Our admissions process for our school is simple, whether you are attending our school from the US or abroad. Our admissions specialists can assist you with all the paperwork that you need and will answer any questions that you have along the way. In addition, we also offer an annual scholarship for international students.
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Highland Canine Training (HK9) has been closely monitoring the updates provided from the CDC, NCDHHS and various other health and federal institutions in relation to the COVID-19 virus.
For up-to-date guidance and information on procedural changes for students, please visit our COVID-19 page for the latest updates:
https://internationaldogtrainerschool.com/latest-guidance-for-students-re-covid-19-coronavirus/